Image Gallery: Sex Habits of Penguins

Gay Penguins

An Adelie penguin couple in a photo taken by George Levick, a surgeon and zoologist aboard Captain Scott's 1910 South Pole expedition.

Cape Adare

Credit: copyright Natural History Museum

A group of Adelie penguins on Cape Adare in a photo taken by Levick. Cape Adare holds the world's largest Adelie penguin colony.

Icy Penguins

Credit: copyright Natural History Museum

Some of the penguin sexual acts observed by Levick, such as necrophilia and what Levick considered "rape," or sexual coercion, shocked and repulsed the zoologist.

The Notebook

Credit: copyright NHM/R Kossow

Levick kept his notes on the penguins in two separate notebooks, one of which was for the "depraved" sexual acts he observed. The notebook, some coded in Greek, is being displayed until Sept. 2, 2012 at the Natural History Museum's exhibition "Scott's Last Expedition."

All Lined Up

Credit: copyright NHM/R Kossow

Another page of Levick's notebook showing the Adelie penguins of Cape Adare.

On Ice

Credit: Public Domain

Adélie Penguins on the ice-foot at Cape Adare in the Antarctic, shown here in a photo taken by George Murray Levick, a member of Robert Scott's Terra Nova Expedition.

Before becoming managing editor, Jeanna served as a reporter for Live Science and SPACE.com for about three years. Previously she was an assistant editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Jeanna has an English degree from Salisbury University, a Master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland, and a science journalism degree from New York University. Follow Jeanna on Google+.

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Gay Penguins

Credit: copyright Natural History Museum

An Adelie penguin couple in a photo taken by George Levick, a surgeon and zoologist aboard Captain Scott's 1910 South Pole expedition.

Cape Adare

Credit: copyright Natural History Museum

A group of Adelie penguins on Cape Adare in a photo taken by Levick. Cape Adare holds the world's largest Adelie penguin colony.

Icy Penguins

Credit: copyright Natural History Museum

Some of the penguin sexual acts observed by Levick, such as necrophilia and what Levick considered "rape," or sexual coercion, shocked and repulsed the zoologist.

The Notebook

Credit: copyright NHM/R Kossow

Levick kept his notes on the penguins in two separate notebooks, one of which was for the "depraved" sexual acts he observed. The notebook, some coded in Greek, is being displayed until Sept. 2, 2012 at the Natural History Museum's exhibition "Scott's Last Expedition."

All Lined Up

Credit: copyright NHM/R Kossow

Another page of Levick's notebook showing the Adelie penguins of Cape Adare.

On Ice

Credit: Public Domain

Adélie Penguins on the ice-foot at Cape Adare in the Antarctic, shown here in a photo taken by George Murray Levick, a member of Robert Scott's Terra Nova Expedition.